


When Angels Cry

by FayeValentine



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Big Brother Junmyeon, Bunnies, Cats, Doctor Kyungsoo, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Housekeeper Chanyeol, Jongin is sick, Lay and Chen have a pivotal role, M/M, Major Illness, Romance, Sehun is a rockstar/idol, Sick Character, stuffed animals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-15 16:46:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9245849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FayeValentine/pseuds/FayeValentine
Summary: Kim Jongin wasn't born lucky, but he has a lot to be thankful for. This includes a good older brother, a nice doctor, and a goofy hyung. But as much as their love and concern is appreciated, Jongin wants to live his dream, even at the cost of his life.Soon he gets a once in a lifetime chance to dance alongside his favorite idol, and despite his health, Jongin isn't going to turn down such a golden opportunity.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of Full Moon Wo Sagashite.

When Angels Cry

 

 

  
Kim Jongin had a dream, something he strove for, something he was passionate about, something that he was willing to risk his life for—

  
Unfortunately he was unable to even have a choice, he was to do as told and that was the end of it.

 

“Kim-ssi, Jongin’s condition has been stable, it’s good news for now but you’ll have to make sure that he doesn’t get stressed or exert himself too much.” The doctor, Do Kyungsoo, was a good man and even though he was currently crushing all of Jongin’s hopes and dreams, he was a likable hyung. Unfortunately he was listening to Jongin’s heart at the moment and his hands were always just a bit shy of chilled.

  
Junmyeon nodded, he was Jongin’s older brother and he was the one to dole out all of Jongin’s life decisions for him. He was strict and overprotective, but Jongin loved him, even if his older brother planned out his life for him even down to the smallest of increments, laying everything out before him as if Junmyeon were picking his clothes and placing the outfit neatly at the trunk of Jongin’s bed.

 

“That’s very good news doctor, thank you.” Junmyeon said and Jongin wanted to scream in frustration but he was saving his energy for later, when he vented to his stuffed animals.

  
“Ah wait, there’s something else I needed to add,” Kyungsoo quickly interrupted, and the doctor placed his stethoscope around his neck, using his feet to kick the floor and push his little wheeled chair to the desk set across the room. “As a sixteen year old, he’s a little frail and underweight, I’ll prescribe you some vitamins and if you hand it to the receptionist today, I think he’ll be able to hand it over with no wait. It’s been a surprisingly slow day,” Kyungsoo murmured, the cap of a black ink pen stuck in between his teeth as he neatly wrote a note for the new medicine.

  
Jongin frowned at the ‘ _small and frail_ ’ comment and his morose mood turned sour. It was bad enough that he hated hospitals, he didn’t need to be reminded that he was lacking and unhealthy as well.

  
“And that’s it,” Kyungsoo hummed, capping the pen and handing over the small note to Junmyeon, who took it with a reserved smile as he read over the doctor’s handwriting. “Thank you doctor, we’ll be on our way now,” Junmyeon said, placing the note in his suit pocket. He and Kyungsoo shook hands while Jongin tuned them out, their small talk consisted of nothing but boring old people talk and Jongin would much rather put on his jacket and grab the small bag that held all his essentials, a journal, a pen, a book with a fake cover, his phone, and sweets he managed to snatch whenever he had the chance. He wasn’t above stealing, but if he got caught, all he had to do was pull a sick kid act, pull out the big watery puppy eyes and he could get away with murder. Luckily Junmyeon only brought Jongin to his doctor checkups and their clumsy house keeper Chanyeol was the one to take him out ‘ _shopping_.’

 

“Jongin, let’s go.” Junmyeon interrupted, pulling Jongin from his thoughts and making the younger male bow quickly to Kyungsoo and say his goodbyes before he was escorted down the hall. Though that didn’t stop Jongin from twisting back and waving at Kyungsoo like an American, his wide smile becoming cheeky when the doctor waved back.

  
“Bye Doctor Pororo!” Kyungsoo’s face fell comically and Jongin cackled, reveling in the rare burst of emotion from the stoic man. Junmyeon made a sound of disapproval and he lightly smacked the back of his impish little brother’s head, though when Jongin whined at him and pouted, Junmyeon had a small smile curling the edge of his lips up in amusement.

 

 

 

 

∩ ∩       ⋀  ⋀  
(⊗⊗)     (⊗⊗)

 

 

 


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongin receives good news and shocking toys...

 

 

∩ ∩       ⋀  ⋀  
(⊗⊗)     (⊗⊗)

 

 

Jongin hummed peacefully as he placed the final touches on the night’s dinner. Chanyeol babbled on in the dining room as he set the table, his ridiculous apron comically small on him, but a seven year old Jongin had made it with “ _all the love in the world, hyung!”_ so Chanyeol refused to throw the old thing away. In fact, the man with the head full of unruly brown curly hair (like the poodle Jongin once wanted to adopt) even had the audacity to point out the little hand shaped peacock that Jongin had slapped onto the apron in a mix of various primary colored paint.

  
“I went to the market today and you know what? Everyone was asking where you were, they even asked me if I had the right list or if I could find my way home without my little guardian angel! It was so crazy, everyone handed me free stuff after I told them that you went to see _Ky_ \- Doctor Do-ssi.” Jongin noticed the little slip up and he turned his head to face Chanyeol, a sly smile slowly making its way onto his lips. Chanyeol set down the last set of plates and he pretended not to notice Jongin looking at him, talking faster to try and distract his charge. Jongin wasn’t wavered at all and he enjoyed the way the taller man grew flustered.

  
“I-I went to the post office today as well!” Chanyeol quickly said. Jongin perked up and he sprinted into the dining room, but before he could make it to the doorway where the mail was hung up on a little shelf of wooden slots, Chanyeol grabbed him the waist and refused to let him move.

  
“Hyung! Let me go!” Jongin huffed, wriggling and trying to use his lithe frame to his advantage, but Chanyeol was persistent and he had strength and height to his advantage. “ _Hyyyuuuunnngg_!!” Jongin whined once he stopped struggling, his face tinted a light red and a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, his breathing becoming a bit heavy. Ignoring the familiar tightness in his chest, Jongin huffed and glared up at Chanyeol.

  
“Jonginnie, why are you so eager to check the mail?” Chanyeol asked suspiciously, his hold tightening on Jongin when he tried to make a run for it again, though this time worry began to mar his expression when he noticed how labored Jongin looked. “Hold on, let’s sit down and I’ll get you some tea-”

  
“NO!” Jongin shouted, startling Chanyeol at his outburst. A little embarrassed at his eruption, Jongin cleared his throat and tried to regulate his breathing, though even in his own ears he sounded as breathless as he did after his secret escapades.

  
“Hyung please, I just need to look for…a letter i-in the mail,” Jongin stuttered, feeling a little proud of himself for coming up with the slight fib. It wasn’t a lie per se, more like a half-truth because he was waiting for a letter of sorts—

  
“What letter? Who sent it to you, Kim Jongin I swear if you are writing to some boy… wait, it’s that guy next door, Minseok, no Luhan-”

  
Jongin slapped his hands over Chanyeol’s mouth, a scandalized “ _hyung!_ ” falling from his lips as his face flushed a brighter red. Jongin regretted ever telling Chanyeol that he had a crush on their neighbors in middle school, he was pretty sure that both college students knew because Chanyeol couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Now whenever he had to leave for school, Jongin sped walked by their house and refused to make direct eye contact, though he could feel their amused eyes on him. But first things first, Chanyeol was still looking at him and he needed an answer now.

  
“I-I just got a new pen pal,” Jongin quickly said, thinking fast. Chanyeol raised a single eyebrow at him. “It’s a project f-from school a-and I just sent a letter last week, they’ve probably responded by now…” Jongin trailed off, cautiously taking his hands away from Chanyeol’s mouth when the older male didn’t outright call out his lie. But Jongin felt a little exerted and a sharp pain struck his chest every time he took a breath now.

  
“….Okay,” Chanyeol finally relented, but he only gave in so that Jongin would calm down. “I believe you Jongin, but you have to sit down and I’ll get the mail, the letter should be in there somewhere.” And before Jongin could let his fierce independent streak kick in, Chanyeol was already out of the dining room and in the hallway.

  
Sighing, Jongin decided to listen to his hyung and he took a seat at the table, focusing on his breathing the way Dr. Do taught him. ‘ _One crisis averted, now I have to read what EXO says about my audition video…’_

  
Jongin would have applied for a university, he at least wanted to do that before his body gave out, but he knew that realistically he probably wouldn’t make it past his eighteenth birthday. But Jongin still wanted to dance on a stage, not exactly the center of attention because he knew that it’d never happen, but maybe he’d be able to perform as a background dancer. To at least get a feel of the energy of the crowd, of the vigorous band playing on stage, to experience the incessant rise and descent of the music would be enough. At least once, and if Jongin were going to do this, he was going to do it with his favorite band and his favorite idol, Oh Sehun.

  
With that in mind, Jongin made a video of himself dancing to his favorite song, almost landing himself another visit to Dr. Do in the process, though Jongin had been slowly training his heart to handle more vigorous movement in the hopes that he could buy himself just enough time to accomplish at least a fraction of his dream. He sent it in to SM and hoped that he’d be hired as a backup dancer, now the dreaded letter that decided his fate was in his house!

  
“Jongin, is this it?” Chanyeol asked as he walked into the room, holding a bundle of junk mail, though a plain envelope made of thick creamy paper was held up in his hands. “I think your little pen pal wrote a lot, this is kind of heavy!”

  
Quickly, Jongin stood up and he snatched the letter from Chanyeol and pressed it protectively to his chest. Chanyeol looked at him strangely and Jongin blushed a little in embarrassment. “U-uh, I’ll just take this t-to my room now hyung.” He said and before Chanyeol could voice his concern, Jongin was already rushing down the hall to his room.

  
Once in his sanctuary with his door closed behind him, Jongin slumped to the floor with his back to the door. ‘ _Whew that was too close!_ ’ Jongin thought with a relieved sigh. He shifted and the sound of crinkling paper reached his ears. Alarmed, Jongin immediately loosened his hold on the letter and he gingerly smoothed it out with his slim fingers.

  
Taking a deep breath, Jongin attempted to calm his nerves. His heart was beating fast and he felt himself break out into a cold sweat, his palms were tingly and clammy and overall Jongin felt as if he were going to be sick with nerves. Still, he carefully read the neat handwriting of the envelope, it was simply addressed to Kim Jongin and his address was carefully placed in the middle, along with a stamp at the upper right corner of the sealed envelope.

  
_‘It’s now or never, Jongin_ ,’ He thought to himself and with one last glance at the writing, Jongin flipped the letter back over and he gently slipped his pointer finger under the unsealed edge of the paper. It resisted a bit and Jongin almost gave himself a paper cut, but he soon had the letter open and a sheaf of papers were now in the palm of his hands.

 

**To whom it may concern:**

  
**SM Entertainment is pleased to announce that the auditions for backup dancers to the popular group EXO has drawn to an end. We would like to thank all participants for taking part in this event. It has been a very difficult competition—**

 

Jongin skipped to the end of the letter and he read the last line with his breath held and his heart beating hard enough to make him a little light headed, but it was a pain he was used to feeling, so he ignored it.

 

**Participant number 1-043, ‘Kai’, has been accepted as a backup dancer and performer for the group EXO. We look forward to working with you in the upcoming tour, details of which are located on the next page.**

 

Disbelief was the first thing Jongin felt and he was so over whelmed that he dropped the papers and didn’t even flinch when they fluttered to the floor in a heap. Then excitement and shock filtered through his system and Jongin let out a joyous shout as he jumped to his feet and eagerly began cheering for himself.

  
“YES! I DID IT!” His shout was met with silence, but upon hearing Chanyeol bustling in the kitchen, Jongin quickly quieted down. But he was unable to hide his wide smile and Jongin hastily bit his lip in an effort to hold in his cheering.

  
A flash of pink and blue from out of the corner of his eyes caught Jongin’s attention and the boy’s smile softened ad he walked to his bed and sat down in it, turning to face the blue kitty and pink bunny sitting next to his pillow. “I did it! Lay, Chen, I can dance on stage with Sehun hyung!” He whispered to the stuffed animals. Lay was the bunny and Jongin got him as a present from the doctor when he first went to the hospital. It was the time he was diagnosed and ever since he was six, Jongin had the bunny with him. It was a bit worn now and one pink ear was always flopping into Lay’s button eyes, and the tartan ribbon adorning his neck was ratty, but overall the stuffed toy was holding up well and Jongin loved it dearly.

  
Of course, he loved Chen as well and it used to belong to Junmyeon, who decided he was too old for it and gave it to Jongin when he was in elementary school and Junmyeon was in high school. Jongin will never know the reason why it took him so long to get rid of it, but he’s more than happy to take care of the blue kitty Chen. It was just as worn as Lay, but the kitty’s right ear was a little frayed at the top and his tail had a bell tied to it with a ribbon.

  
“So what do you guys think? Would Sehun hyung be just as cool in real life as he is in his videos? Oh, I wonder if his voice sounds the same in real life! It’d be so deep then,” Jongin gushed and though he knew that Lay and Chen were stuffed animals and therefore inanimate, he couldn’t help but feel as if they were rolling their eyes at him and thinking judging thoughts about him.

  
“Hey, the least you could do is listen to me,” Jongin whined and he pouted at the kitty and bunny staring at him with brown button eyes. They said nothing and Jongin’s expression fell from one of elation to sadness and he dropped his head into his pillow. ‘ _I’m so pathetic, my only friends are two stuffed animals…’_

  
Once that thought crossed his mind, Jongin was reminded that he was stuck in the house with Chanyeol acting as his gatekeeper. He couldn’t leave and he had a tutor to educate him privately, so he couldn’t even interact with other people his age at school and if he ever told Junmyeon about his audition, his brother would never let him leave the house ever again. Dr. Do did offer home visits and he was sure that Chanyeol would be paid extra to make sure that he never so much as looks outside.

  
The depressing thoughts had tears prickling the corner of Jongin’s eyes and he shifted to lie on his back, his teary eyes looking at the blank ceiling. He wanted to paint it a calm blue, something that was a pale turquoise to represent the sky, but he was shot down by his brother and the entire room was made a stark hospital white. The sight saddened him some more and Jongin sniffled, wiping at his eyes furiously.

  
‘ _Aish, never mind that! Even if I have to sneak out, I’ll go to orientation and make myself known as a dancer!_ ’ Jongin nodded in agreement to himself and he suddenly sat up in bed, looking around his room before his eyes zeroed in on the papers lying innocently on the floor next to the carefully opened envelope, still in front of the door.

  
Jongin’s eyes narrowed in determination and he stood up and crossed the room. He kneeled to gather the papers in his arms and he avoided looking at himself in the full length mirror as he quickly walked back to his bed. He set the papers on his pillow next to Chen and Lay for safeguarding and he crawled onto the soft mattress, pulling his fluffy comforter up and wrapping it around his shoulders for comfort as he prepared to read through the second page of the letter.

  
The details of the job, outlines of expected behavior and professionalism weren’t what he expected on the next page, but Jongin diligently read through it all and once he reached the end, the location of the practice studio was printed in specialized script.

 

 **Seoul Professional Arts Building**  
**87326 NW, Enterprise Street, Gangnam Seoul**  
**Suite 4, Building 2**  
**(XXX) XXX-XXXX**

 

Jongin memorized the address and the number and he felt excited and a little daunted. The practice building sounded large and posh and modern and it was located in the Gangnam district! That was a place that Jongin had always wanted to go because Junmyeon worked there in a big bank, but he was also scared. What if he went to the first day of practice and his inexperience showed? Would everyone be able to tell that he was younger than he said he was on the audition papers, or would they be able to tell that he never left the house? Oh, that would be horrible! Jongin would stick out and he wouldn’t be able to dance because they’d fire him and then call his brother and then he’d never be able to live with the shame.

  
The thought of failure and rejection alone made Jongin duck his head under his blanket and hide from the world, effectively shutting everything except his thoughts out. As Jongin needlessly despaired, Chen and Lay began to move, they both levitated and with a loud crackle of energy and a boom that was loud enough to catch Jongin off guard and make him peek out from under his blanket again, his hair endearingly ruffled and his eyes wide and disbelieving as the stuffed animals were concealed by a plume of smoke, though it more resembled a mini cloud. Jongin squinted and coughed, waving his hands in front of himself to dissipate the cloud, but two voices made him pause and freeze.

  
“Oh my god, that was so _tiring_! Why the hell do we have to do this anyway, it’s not like he’s a kid Lay,” A man with blue cat ears and tail was revealed and his shiny blue black hair gleamed under the soft white lightbulb of Jongin’s lamp. He was dressed strangely, a small black bolero covering only his upper chest, worn with an opened blue mandarin collar shirt over it, and of all things, it was paired with jeans.

  
Jongin’s eyes nearly bugged out when he saw the man’s stomach, chiseled with soft muscle and just…so _exposed_. It made Jongin a little self-conscious because the man had better abs than him, but his attention was drawn toward the other man who suddenly popped up in his room.

  
Jongin assumed he was Lay and he had on something a bit more modest than what Chen was wearing, but his outer coat was a dark pink and the edges of his sleeves were lined with white ruffles and he wore a pink and black tartan scarf, tucked into the collar of his black button down shirt like a cravat. He wore a top hat and it was so outrageous that it matched well with his jacket.

  
“Chen, quiet, you are so lazy I swear. And he is only…” Lay snapped his fingers and a book and a thin pair of wire framed glasses appeared. Jongin noticed that he had long pink bunny ears, one flopping into his eyes and the other standing up straight from his head full of blonde curly hair, despite the top hat. Lay licked his thumb and he flipped through the pages of his book, his glasses slipping to the edge of his nose attractively. “Sixteen and a virgin, so technically, he’s still a kid.”

  
Chen snickered and he slapped the bottom of the book, making the heavy thing fly up and hit Lay in the face. “You old pervert! Figures that of all the information we have on him, you’d notice that he hasn’t fu—”

  
“Stop!” Jongin shouted and he was blushing furiously at this point, he even shot up in bed and pounced on the surprised kitty. He covered Chen’s mouth with his hands and somewhere deep in his mind, Jongin vaguely registered the fact that he could touch the cat-man as if he were a real human.

  
“Oh my, Chen the virgin just jumped on you.” Lay said as he blinked and he looked so unfazed by Jongin’s reaction, though his nose was still red from where the book smacked into it. Then Lay smirked at Chen, “Now who’s the pervert here?”

  
Chen grabbed Jongin’s wrists and he moved the frail boy’s hands away from his mouth, his expression a mixture of irritation and smugness as he met Lay’s eyes. “Well technically it’s the kid now, but I don’t blame him. I’m so sexy that I give _virgins_ the urge to rape me.”

  
Jongin’s face flamed and he felt irritation and indignation swell up within him. “Shut up! I’m not a virgin!” He shouted and he broke out of Chen’s hold to roughly grab the man’s ears and yank on them in retaliation for telling the truth.

  
“Ow! Let go kid!” Chen yelled, finally turning his attention to Jongin and addressing him directly.

  
Lay chuckled and he seemed to revel in Chen’s light squeals of pain, but he soon grew concerned and he decided to pull Jongin off of the blue kitty. “Alright, that is enough Jongin, I believe he has learned his lesson now.”

  
Jongin struggled for a moment, wanting to touch Chen’s ears rather than attack him by now, but he stopped and stared at Lay when his words registered in his mind. “How do you know my name?”

  
Lay snapped his fingers again and the floating book, the glasses, and the top hat all disappeared within a blink of an eye. Astonished, Jongin remained silent and the tall man with bunny ears and tail began speaking. “Well, this is unusual. No other child has been able to see us outside their time.” He hummed thoughtfully and one of his bunny ears twitched in concentration. The pink fur fascinated Jongin and he wanted to touch them, but he refrained from giving in to the temptation in favor of waiting for an answer to his question.

  
A booted foot suddenly shot out and kicked Lay in the side, sending him tumbling to the floor. “God damnit! I thought you said that you were a ‘ _senior reaper_ ’ who knew what the hell he was doing!” Chen shouted and he glowered at Lay from above, still hovering whereas Lay was sprawled face first on the floor.

  
“Mdkjdf!” Lay mumbled as he sat up on the floor and turned to glare at Chen. “This is an unexpected situation, but regardless, I am still your senior and therefore you should respect—”

  
“Shut up old man! This is no time to be talking like you know everything, you prick, and what the hell are you wearing!? You look like The White Rabbit ready to run some errands,” Chen complained and insulted Lay all at the same time and his tone became crankier and crankier with every word.

  
Lay’s eyes darkened in the first signs of anger that Jongin had seen since they popped up and he watched as the bunny eared man snapped his white gloved fingers. Chen was too busy talking to notice, but it did catch his attention when Lay’s earlier book appeared above the other man’s head and fell on him hard. The cat didn’t even have a chance before he dropped to the floor in a heap, the book landing on him with a solid thump and Jongin was left speechless for a moment.

  
Smiling smugly and adjusting his ruffle embroidered jacket, Lay snapped his fingers again and the book disappeared. Chen stayed face first on the ground and usually Jongin would worry for him, but Lay was already standing up and walking toward him.

  
“Now Jongin, hold still for a moment,” Lay ordered and Jongin flinched when the man reached out with a gloved hand and gently held his chin in place. Lay stared deep into his eyes and he used his other hand to lift Jongin’s left eyelid so that he could examine the round brown iris without hindrance.

  
Jongin was used to being examined like this, after all, Dr. Do was a very through doctor, but after a while, Jongin’s eyes began watering and he had to push Lay’s hands away to blink and wipe his watery eyes. “There’s no noticeable anomaly in your eyes that could affect your sight, however this is something that I’ll have to take note of…” Lay pulled back and he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You are not close to your destined time, I saw it in the book and my watch is set…”

  
A shadow appeared behind Lay and Jongin only had time to gasp before Chen tackled the bunny to the bed. “Yah! You bastard, you aren’t supposed to use your special powers to knock me out!” He shouted and Lay bucked him off his back and they both tumbled to the floor in a heap, growling and kicking at each other, pulling hair and calling one another names.

  
“Stupid cat!”

  
“Pink bunny!”

  
“Inexperienced, impulsive, _little_ brat!”

  
“ _What_!? Say that again you old—”

  
Jongin threw his comforter over both of them. He learned from Chanyeol that if animals ever get in a fight, it’s best to cover their eyes and they’ll automatically calm down. He thought the method applied in this situation, though Chanyeol may have been talking about birds at the time because he was shaking his head at some pigeons fighting over a piece of bread outside the kitchen window.

  
Shaking the memory away, Jongin watched as they flailed and struggled under it before two ruffled heads adorned with animal ears popped up. “The hell was that for kid?” Chen asked and he flicked the blanket off long enough to sit up and glare at Jongin grumpily.

  
Lay coughed lightly and he smoothed out the lapels of his jacket, fixing himself up again. “I believe that was meant to be a distraction to stop you from destroying the room.”

  
Chen huffed and he looked as if he was going to say something, but Jongin interrupted with an exasperated expression on his face. “Will you two please stop fighting and tell me what is going on!? How do you know my name? Why do you two look like man-cat-bunny hybrids? How are you able to fly, and why do you look like my stuffed animals?”

  
Lay looked overwhelmed by the question while Chen looked annoyed at the incessant barrage. “Slow down kid, I’ll only answer two questions, so choose carefully.”

  
Jongin blinked and then he stuttered. “O-oh, uhmm…okay. How do you know my name?” He settled for asking first.

  
“It’s in the book,” Chen answered easily and he seemed almost offended that he had to waste his time on that.

  
“What book?” Jongin asked before he could stop himself.

  
“ _El Libre Muerto_.” Chen said and he promptly shut his mouth after that.

  
“What does that mean?” Jongin asked and Chen merely shook his head at him. “Please tell me Chen?”

  
Lay reached up and he smacked Chen in the back of his head. “Will you stop being an annoyance and just talk to Jongin?” He sounded exasperated and Chen grumbled at him under his breath as he rubbed his head between his kitty ears.

  
“Fine.” Chen grit out and he was scowling so deeply that Jongin feared his face would get stuck on that expression for the rest of his life. “We are reapers, that’s how we can float and move things without touching them and we can walk through walls and have premonitions and shit.”

  
Lay glowered at him disapprovingly, “Chen, you work in the pediatrics unit, so act like it! No cursing.”

  
Chen waved him off and he went back to answering Jongin’s previously asked questions, much to the bewilderment of the little human boy. “We look like this because it’s more comforting for children to see something loved and familiar before we take them away, obviously you’re a little too old for this but hey, you can have stuffed animals if you want to kid.”

  
Jongin flushed red in embarrassment and he would have defended himself, when Chen and Lay’s words, when all taken together, sounded ominous. “W-what do you m-mean you ‘ _take them away_ ’?” Jongin gulped and he watched as Chen froze and backtracked to what he said earlier.

  
“Uh, about that…Lay hyung?” Chen gave the pink bunny eared man a hopeful, pleading look.

  
Lay looked pleased at the added hyung, so he answered for Chen. “It means Jongin, that as reapers, we take passing children’s souls to the afterlife. We are here for you, but for some reason you can see us even though it’s not exactly time for you to— _Oh_.”

  
Jongin was looking at both of them with big watery eyes, his lower lip trembling and his small shoulders curled in on himself, making him look small and frail and so sad. “D-does this mean that I’m going to die hyung?” He asked in a wobbly voice and Chen and Lay began panicking.

  
“N-not right now Jongin!” Lay answered quickly, shaking his hands before him in denial.

  
“Yeah kid, you still got some time, I mean not a lot-” Chen began, but a sharp look from Lay cut him off. “Well you have enough time to grow an inch.” He added hastily. Jongin merely ducked his head and buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking even more now.

  
“Oh please don’t cry, please,” Lay begged and his hands hovered around Jongin’s bent from uselessly.

  
“…If I don’t cry, will you let me go?” Jongin asked in a meek, muffled voice, not moving his face away from his hands. Lay fell silent and Chen looked away from the kid guiltily, secretly hating the fact that he couldn’t make an exception for the sick boy.

  
“No, I’m sorry…” Lay replied and Jongin could hear how genuinely upset he was.

  
Still, Jongin sniffled and added a “ _please hyung?_ ” to plead his case. He could hear Lay’s resolve breaking, so he pulled his hands away from his face and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes, little tears adding to the heartbreak effect. “Hyung…?” He said, clasping his hands in front of his chest and concentrating on looking pitiful.

  
In an agonizing display of will, Lay shook his head.

  
“Tch. You’re so heartless, what a scrooge.” Jongin said and he dropped his hands to wipe his eyes and step out of bed, feeling mildly irritated.

 

No one had ever resisted that act before Lay came along.

  
Lay blinked in confusion at the spot that Jongin was previously occupying. “…Huh!?”

  
“HA HA! You got played by a kid!!” Chen broke out into loud obnoxious laughter, but Jongin ignored the death reapers in favor of heading to the bathroom to take a long soak in cherry and lavender scented bubbles. Maybe after, Chanyeol would be done setting up the food and he could eat in peace.

 

 

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_Soft snow filled his vision and a gentle lullaby was hummed to him as he opened his eyes. It was blurry and bright white light threatened to blind him, but slowly he adjusted and the smiling face of a young woman with long chestnut colored hair greeted him. She was beautiful, with big almond shaped eyes, a wide button nose, and pillowy bow shaped lips. She looked vaguely familiar._

  
_“Baby boy, I know that you miss your hyung, but I promise that we’ll see him once we get home. Hyung had to study for his entrance exams today so we had to go out and leave him alone, huh? Even if it is your birthday, this is very important to him.” The woman looked out the window and she hummed the rest of the lullaby, her voice trailing off and he didn’t have to look in the driver’s seat to know that a man with pale skin, large framed glasses, and scruffy black hair was driving._

  
_“Umma, hyung can play when we get back, right?” He asked and his voice was high pitched with childishness, still shy and low. He grabbed the woman’s hand and squeezed tight, holding onto her with a little bit of embarrassment coloring his face. He was eight now, he shouldn’t be holding onto his mother still, but he found that she was the best comfort, more so than Bunny Lay._

  
_“Of course, hyung will have to take a break for some fun every once in a while, right?” The man spoke up and he looked away from the road to glance back at him with a smile and sparkling happy eyes. “Dear, watch the road.” Umma hummed and he pouted along with Appa._

  
_“Don’t tell the police hyungs at work, but I can drive without looking at the road,” Appa said to him, lowering his tone to a whisper as he covered the side of his mouth with his hand, as if Umma couldn’t hear them._

  
_He laughed and the sound was so happy, so carefree and light, that it stung. Somewhere deep within his mind, he remembered the noise and his heart filled with apprehension so strong and dark that it crept up in his heart, crawling up to his neck and tightening like a noose._

  
_“Baby, why are you frowning? Appa was just joking.” Appa said and he looked worried now. Umma was placing her hand on his forehead to check for a fever and he knew from the action that she was worried as well. “It’s your heart isn’t it? Well hold on, we’re turning around,” Appa said and his expression became steeled in concentration as he slowed to a stop on the rural road. The snow was thicker now and fog was creeping in along with the cold. Every time he breathed his breath fogged up and he felt the noose tighten around his neck, his heart was beating faster and faster and he felt as if he were going to faint._

  
_“Baby, hold on!” Umma said and she looked like she was smoking now. Appa said a bad word and the car stalled in the middle of a U-turn. He started turning the key and stepping on the gas, the engine revved and growled but it sputtered and coughed and stayed stationary._

  
_The cold was creeping in and it built up with the dark noose, he was scared now and he squeezed Umma’s hand. She squeezed back and tried rubbing some warmth into his arms, pulling his small body to her side and sharing body heat with him, even though he felt her shivering in cold as well._

  
_“We might have to get out and push Dear,” Appa said apologetically and he didn’t want to let Umma go, but she slipped out of his hold and joined Appa outside, both of them walking to the back of the car and disappearing in the fog._

  
_It was quiet for a while and the feeling of apprehension welled up again. “Umma? Appa?” He called as he stood up in is seat and twisted around to look out the back window—_

  
_Bright light filled his eyes along with the loud sound of a car honking. Someone screamed, him or Umma, and glass shattered in his face, leaving behind stinging scratches and making him cry out in pain. But the world began twisting and he was jolted to the side, the car was moving and he was tossed inside and things were cold, the windows were broken, the snow was drifting in and he felt it steal away all his warmth._

  
_Now it was quiet again, he wanted to sleep and his head felt warm, but the smell of gasoline invaded his nostrils and the smell was too much, it hurt his head and now the car was warming up. He mustered the energy to open his eyes and he saw flames licking up the front end of the car, upright and rapidly moving in his direction. He tried to move, but nothing happened, he was stuck._

  
_Crying now that the thick smoke was heading his way, he closed his eyes and waited._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin jolted upright in his bed. The last vestiges of his dream drifted away and he was left feeling uneasy, his forearm was burning and stinging and he didn’t have to lift the sleeve of his shirt to see that it was red and angry, a raised scar marring his smooth skin and reminding him of something he wanted to forget.

  
“Hey. Why are you sweating so much!? Scoot over!” Chen ordered in an irritated voice and Jongin was rudely reminded with a knee in his side why he was so close to the edge of the bed.

  
“Yah! Chen, move!” Jongin replied and he shoved the kitty eared male’s leg away from his side. He was huffing now as the last vestiges of his strength faded away and Chen grumbled at him before he rolled over and squished a heavily slumbering Lay.

  
The reapers were here for Jongin. He was going to die soon and they knew when, but they wouldn’t tell him the exact date, they wouldn’t eve give him a hint! ‘ _And why are they in human form anyway!? I thought we agreed to keep their presence a secret!’_ Jongin thought with an irritated huff as he yanked on his blanket and covered himself with it, ignoring Chen’s call of “ _blanket hog!”_

  
Earlier, it had been relatively easy to eat dinner normally, prepare for bed normally, and even lay down normally. Maybe it was because when he came back into the room, Lay and Chen were back to being stuffed animals, but as soon as they started speaking again, Jongin was reminded that he didn’t have as much time as he thought he did.

  
Maybe it was the realization that he wasn’t going to live to be an old man with his brother that made him think of that day. He hadn’t had that dream in a long time and Jongin thought that he was better now.

  
Sighing, Jongin threw off his blanket and rolled out of bed. He picked up his phone and squinted at the brightness before his eyes adjusted.

  
**4:56 A.M.**

  
‘ _Ugh! It’s so early!’_ Jongin internally whined. Sparing his bed a longing look, Jongin watched as Chen’s tail twitched and his leg kick out reflexively, catching Lay in the back of the thigh and making the bunny man grunt and kick back.

  
Pouting, Jongin decided to just get ready for the day, it would certainly make Chanyeol happy to not have to come into his room and drag him out of bed. ‘ _I wonder if I have time to check out the studio_ ,’ Jongin thought, the date, time, and address of the meetup on his mind. He was still reeling from the fact that his dancing was good enough to get him accepted at SM Entertainment, the company that was famous for taking in lost little lambs and turning them into wolves in the entertainment industry.

  
‘ _Ah wait, that means I have to get away from Junmyeon and Chanyeol hyung_.’ The realization had Jongin freezing with his hand gripping the doorknob of his room tightly. His housekeeper and his older brother were some of the most overprotective people ever, with them around, Jongin would never get away long enough to practice the choreography with EXO and Sehun.

  
Frowning, Jongin contemplated his choices, he could risk sneaking away, but Junmyeon checked on him when he got back from work late and Chanyeol was with him practically every minute of every day, there was no way that he could leave the house without getting caught.

  
Shaking off his worries, Jongin decided that he’d think about it later, when he was more awake and able to handle thinking properly. When he crept into the hallway, his socked feet making no noise on the plush white carpet of the house, Jongin took a moment to check Junmyeon’s room, located at the end of the hallway between his room and Chanyeol’s room.

  
The door was open a crack and Jongin gently pushed it open, light spilled in from the sloppily shut curtains in the room and a tuft of dark black hair from under a pile of blankets let Jongin know that his older brother was home. Smiling fondly, Jongin left the room and softly closed the door behind himself.

  
‘ _Hyung works too hard, I should have Chanyeol hyung and Do-ssi tell him to take it easy, he’ll listen to them more than me.’_ Jongin thought as he walked to the bathroom. He had a whole day to get ready for and he wanted to look presentable.

  
Thirty minutes and a steamy shower later, Jongin was humming as he searched through his closet for something to wear out. However, all his clothing was either preppy or cute. Junmyeon loved buying him proper clothes in pastel colors and Chanyeol spoiled him with soft, oversized sweaters that made him look even more like a kid when he donned them. In short, nothing he owned even represented the image that Sehun and EXO stood for.

  
The reason Jongin enjoyed following the band and watching their videos was because of their bad boy image. Sehun was the most daring of them all, being the lead singer of the group and Jongin was sure that if he saw this pitiful closet, he would be majorly disappointed and maybe even appalled.

  
Sighing, Jongin picked the darkest sweater he owned and paired it with white wash jeans. It wasn’t much, but it was all he had the time and patience to agonize over.

  
“What are you doing?” Someone asked right next to Jongin’s ear and the boy let out a squeak and whirled around. Chen’s ear twitched at the high pitched noise he made, but his eyes flickered down and he used his tail to gesture to Jongin’s clothing. “What’re you so dressed up for kid?”

  
Jongin placed a hand on his chest to calm his heart down, it wouldn’t do him any good to get worked up so early in the morning. Instead, Jongin narrowed his eyes at Chen and flicked him on the ear as he brushed past him. “That’s not any of your business.” However, Jongin ran into something closely resembling a wall. Letting out a surprised squeak, Jongin took a quick step back and held his nose, craning his head up to see Lay looking at him curiously, one bunny ear flopping to the side when he titled his head and crossed his arms.

  
“What exactly are you doing?” He asked, Chen softly padding his way over to his side and using his shoulder as an arm rest, yawning hard enough to have his ears twitching and his kitty fangs glinting in the early morning light.

  
Jongin felt his face falling and his lips falling into a pout. “I’m just going out. I have stuff to do you know.”

  
Chen scoffed and the little huff of air made Lay’s messy hair move slightly, “You know kid, you’re a terrible liar. We’ve read up all about you and you aren’t allowed to leave the home without any adult supervision.”

  
Lay pushed the cat away, but he did nod in agreement. “For once Chen is right. You are not allowed to leave and we will not have you trying to disappear on our watch.”

  
Jongin gaped at them. “You can’t be serious! I have to leave and you two can’t stop me—”

  
“That may be, however there are others who will be able to keep you here.” Lay interrupted with a stern expression on his face.

  
Jongin frowned and his eyes darted from Chen to Lay, finding them both in agreement for once. Still, there had to be a way to convince them…

  
“Hyung, please! I want to do this b-before you t-take me away…” Jongin sniffled and he buried his face in his hands, letting his shoulders droop sadly and tremble slightly.

  
“Oh no,” Chen muttered his eyes narrowing at Jongin. “We aren’t falling for that again kid.”

  
Jongin ignored him, but he did look up and was satisfied to see that Lay was at least affected by his watery eyes. Chen appeared wary, almost hiding behind his bunny counterpart as he watched Jongin with wide eyes, unable to tell whether he really was crying or not.

  
‘ _Come on_ …’ Jongin thought, blinking up at Lay. His vision was getting a little blurry with the fake tears, but he was a master of crying on command, he’d get the bunny to crack soon. “Hyung, p-please,” Jongin whimpered pathetically, blinking again to squeeze out a tear from the corner of his eyes.

  
The conflicted blonde man finally slumped his shoulders and uncrossed his arms with a sigh. “Alright, we will not stop you.”

  
Jongin cheered and he immediately wiped his eyes. “Thank you!” He chirped, hopping past them in excitement and rushing to grab his acceptance papers. However, before he could so much as touch the pillow they were hidden under, Chen grabbed him by the scruff and held him.

  
“Hold on,” Chen said, pulling a struggling Jongin closer to himself and slipping an arm around his waist to keep him from escaping as he glared at Lay. “What the hell are you thinking! We can’t just let the kid wander around!”

  
Lay was unruffled by Chen’s irritation, but he did place his curled fist under his chin in a thinker pose. “You’re right. We should accompany him.” He decided with a smile that brought out hidden dimples in his cheeks.

  
Chen sputtered at him incredulously. “You can’t be serious!”

  
Before Lay could open his mouth, Jongin frantically began squirming in Chen’s hold. The boy’s heart rate was accelerating and a sharp pang made him almost want to cry, but he held it in. “Let me go! I don’t need a chaperone, I’ll be fine on my own!” He protested when Chen tightened his hold on him.

  
Lay looked at least a little concerned, but he didn’t move to help Jongin. “I may have agreed to not stop you, however you have no choice but to let us accompany you.”

  
Huffing, Jongin gave up struggling, his breathing heavy and sweat starting to bead along his temples as he slumped against Chen. “But I don’t want you to follow me,” He settled for whining.

  
Lay smiled again, but at this point it looked more like a smirk, “Unfortunately, you cannot have everything you want in life, so we are going with you and you will listen to us.”

  
“Ha, you hear that brat? We’re in charge.” Chen laughed and he used his blue tail to tickle Jongin under the chin, not minding at all when the younger male slapped the fluffy appendage away with an irritated scowl on his lips. Lay watched with amusement and with a simple snap of his fingers, the pink bunny was dressed and ready for the day. It was an unnecessary action because no one other than Jongin and Chen could see him.

  
‘ _Why are they bothering me!?’_ Jongin thought sullenly, cursing his luck.

 

  


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**Author's Note:**

> (´・ω・)っ♡Comments equal love!♡


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